Tax Day Thoughts: IFA Pays Taxes Too!

When I became Treasurer of the Inverness Forest Association almost seven years ago, I naturally assumed that, as a nonprofit organization, we did not pay taxes.  I was wrong.

It is true that we do not pay income tax.  However there are other forms of taxes that even a nonprofit must pay.  In particular, the Inverness Forest Association is subject to property taxes just like individual homeowners.  In 2010, the Inverness Forest Association paid $552.25 in property taxes to Montgomery County.

Our "tax-free" status does not protect the IFA homeowners association from being required to also pay fees, which are like taxes, to Montgomery County.  Last year the IFA paid almost $1,000 in fees.

Still, these taxes are tiny compared to what individual homeowners pay.  I noticed while I was doing my income tax that the property tax on my house was almost 10 times as much as the amount that the IFA pays.  Not having to pay income tax is a great benefit to our homeowners association.  If you dare to look at your own 1040, you might be shocked to see just how many tens of thousands of dollars you pay to the IRS each year, and don't forget the other thousands you pay in income tax to Maryland and Montgomery County.

Happy Tax Day!

Agatha Christie's Mousetrap Opens in Potomac

The Agatha Christie play The Mousetrap opened in London in 1952. It has run continuously for almost 60 years! If you don't feel like traveling to London just to see this masterpiece, you can drive about10 minutes to the Bullis School campus.

The Potomac Theatre Company will be presenting The Mousetrap starting this Thursday, March 10 at the Blair Family Center on the Bullis Campus. The show will run for three consecutive weekends. See the flyer below

Need a Renter?

Once in a while on Inverness Forest Today I've played "Matchmaker".  That is, I've been able to match people who need a service with those willing to offer that service.  This happened during last winter's blizzards when people who needed someone to shovel their snow were paired with people who were offering to shovel snow.

Encouraged by that success, I thought it might be useful to match Inverness Forest home owners who might be looking for a renter with a person who is looking to rent a house in our community.  Our Board President, Sharlene Shugarman, received the following email:

From: Marta Patterson [mailto:marta.patterson@gmail.com] Sent: Monday, February 21, 2011 8:44 AMTo: sshugarman@verizon.net
Subject: Inverness Forest Rental

I am interested in renting in Inverness Forest. Can you please tell me if there are any townhouses for rent at this time?

Thank you,

Marta Patterson

202-577-6383

Harvey

iftblog@gmail.com

Montgomery County's Online Tool to Follow the Plows

Many thanks to Inverness Forest resident Elise Vernick for bringing the following information to my attention:

Montgomery County has a new online tool this year for county residents to follow the progress of snow plows on a map during and after a snow storm.  The status of whether plowing is complete, in progress, or not yet started is indicated by different colors on the map.  You can zoom in to see just your immediate neighborhood (or a different area, perhaps where you intend to visit).  You can enter a street address into a box and the map will zoom to that area.

Here is the link to the website:

www.montgomerycountymd.gov/SnowMap

(if clicking on the link doesn't work in your browser, copy the link and paste it into your browser's URL address field).

Harvey
iftblog@gmail.com

Below is the story on the new county snow plow tool from THE PAPERLESS AIRPLANE:

December 2010
Patrick Lacefield, Director | Bonnie Ayers, Editor
Montgomery County officials today announced the launch of a new, online tool that will make it easier for residents to decide when to safely venture out following a snowstorm. The map tool will show the progress of snow plows throughout the County and indicate when emergency roads, primary neighborhood streets and neighborhood streets have been cleared. A zoom feature allows residents to focus on the plow status of their immediate neighborhood and surrounding streets and then zoom out to check on an entire trip route. "Following last year’s record-breaking snowfalls, I asked all our departments to find ways to better communicate with residents during storms," said Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett. "After looking at commercial, online, map systems that track real-time status of snow plowing operations, our departments of Transportation and Technology Services decided that they could put together a far less expensive and more effective tool that specifically meets Montgomery County’s needs. I’m proud of their ingenuity and ability to deliver this tremendous aid to our residents."  Each road category, whether an emergency/main route or neighborhood street, is designated on the map by a different color. Patterns are used to show whether plowing has begun or not, is in progress or complete. Residents are encouraged to consult the map before concluding their street has been missed.  The map includes a handy icon that allows residents to see road views from any of the County’s nearly 200 traffic cameras. Also shown is helpful information about the location of bus stops and Metro stations. The online map system allows residents to easily report an intersection that needs additional sand or salt, a missed street, or a damaged mailbox.  Since many roads in the County are not cleared by the County’s Department of Transportation (MCDOT), it can be confusing for residents. All State-maintained, numbered roads (such as Georgia Avenue, Maryland Route 97 or Rockville Pike, Maryland Route 355) in the County are cleared by the Maryland State Highway Administration (MSHA). A link to information from MSHA about their plowing progress is also available.  Other departments, outside agencies and governmental jurisdictions also have responsibility for plowing. They include the Montgomery County Board of Education; the Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission; the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro); municipalities; and homeowner’s associations. Commercial parking lot owners plow their own properties and are prohibited from moving snow into the street.  During a snowfall, MCDOT works continuously to salt and sand nearly 1,000 lane miles of primary (arterial roads connecting subdivisions or business districts) and secondary roads (main collector streets through subdivisions) and keep them in "bare pavement" condition. This ensures that in case of an emergency every County resident is within one-half mile of a cleared road. As snow accumulations reach three inches, plowing operations begin and all attention remains focused on keeping primary roads clear to ensure emergency access.  Once the snow stops falling and major roads are clear, crews then turn their attention to snow removal from more than 4,100 lane miles of neighborhood streets. It’s important for residents to understand that MCDOT’s goal is to make these streets passable – not clear them to bare pavement.  The type of snow (wet or powdery), pavement temperature, ambient air temperature, and wind conditions following a storm affect how quickly snow can be removed. MCDOT offers these general guidelines: It takes about 16 hours following the end of a three-inch snowfall to plow or treat every County road once. After a 10-inch snowfall, major and primary County roads should be cleared and neighborhood streets made passable within 24 to 36 hours. Snow removal will continue until all streets have been treated at least once. After a 15-inch snowfall, crews should complete their work in about 36 to 48 hours. After a 24-inch snowfall, crews should complete the work in about 48 to 60 hours. A workforce of 200 employees with 175 pieces of snow removal equipment and 180 contractors with 225 pieces of equipment work around the clock until all County-maintained streets are passable. More resources may be called in for exceptional storms. To view the online map system, go to www.montgomerycountymd.gov/SnowMap.

Mikado at Potomac Theatre Company

Long-term readers of Inverness Forest Today will remember that I am the photographer for two local community theater companies: The Potomac Theatre Company and the Victorian Lyric Opera Company. When one of these theater companies has a particularly good production, I write a blog post to let you know.

This time, both of these theater companies have combined forces to create a memorable production of Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Mikado".

The show opened last weekend and the audiences, judging by the applause, seemed very happy with the production.  The final performances will be this weekend at the Bullis School, about 8 minutes from Inverness Forest.

The Mikado is a story of two young lovers who triumph in the end after overcoming numerous obstacles and a case or two of mistaken identity.  Among the humorous plot twists in the case of the Ko Ko, the royal executioner, who tries to figure out how to chop off his own head.  The story is summarized in this Wikipedia article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mikado

To request tickets and for the location and times of the show, see the flyer below.

Harvey
iftblog@gmail.com